An electronics package typically includes a box-like structure or housing, in the interior of which electronic circuitry is mounted. The electronics package is desirably constructed from materials that meet specific functional requirements for density, thermal expansion, thermal conductivity, mechanical strength, and the like. For example, an electronics package used in aircraft and spacecraft may be lightweight and therefore may be constructed from low-density materials.
Additionally, in some environments, a hermetic seal of the electronics package may be desirable. In this and other environments, it may be particularly useful to use a heat sink, so that heat may be dissipated from the electronic circuitry within the housing. One approach involves coupling a metallic heat sink to the electronics package. For example, a heat sink may be mounted into the floor of the electronics package.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,355,362 to Jones et al. discloses an electronics package including a housing that has a metallic material of a first relatively low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). A metallic heat sink is mounted in a floor of the housing and has a second CTE that substantially matches the first CTE to reduce stress in the housing during temperature extremes. Special alloys are used to match the CTEs. Additionally, mounting the heat sink in the floor of the electronics package involves forming the heat sink and fitting it into an opening within the housing. This process may be cumbersome, time consuming, and costly.